Tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible. Every state has some risk of this hazard.

Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.

Make sure you're ready for a tornado with the How to Prepare for a Tornado Guide from Prepareathon  (formerly America's PrepareAthon!) that explains how to protect yourself and details the steps to take now so that you can act quickly at a time when every second counts.

Learn more tips from Ready.gov :

1. Build an emergency kit .
2. Make a  family communications plan .
3. Sign up for local emergency alerts and warnings . In any emergency, always listen to the instructions given by local emergency management officials.
4. Look for danger signs including: dark, often greenish sky; large hail; a large, dark, low-lying cloud (particularly if rotating); and, a loud roar, similar to a freight train. If you see approaching storms or any of the danger signs, be prepared to take shelter immediately.

For more information, watch the When the Storm Comes preparedness video and visit the Prepareathon Tornado page .

An active shooter incident is a situation in which people in a confined or populated area are threatened with deadly violence. Incidents can happen anywhere and at any time. The best way to make sure you and your loved ones stay safe is to prepare ahead of time.

Taking a few steps now and mentally rehearsing what to do can help you react quickly when every second counts.

To help you prepare, review the Prepareathon How to Prepare for an Active Shooter Scenario  Guide that outlines steps you can take before, during, and after an active shooter incident.

The guide also includes:

• A Video - Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter
• An Online Course - Active Shooter: What You Can Do
• A Guide for K-12 Schools
• A Guide for Houses of Worship

To learn more about preparing for an active shooter incident, read  this story featuring  Augustana College  in Rock Island, IL where 1,700 students, 150 staff members, and 34 local agencies, organizations, and public safety departments participated in a full-scale active shooter exercise.

Did you or your organization make a difference to advance disaster preparedness in your community? The time is near for submitting applications for the 2017 FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards .

Since 2009, these awards highlight innovative local practices and achievements by recognizing individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward strengthening their community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from a disaster.

To learn more about the FEMA Individual and Community Preparedness Awards, visit http://www.ready.gov/preparedness-awards .You can also view profiles of past award winners to find out about their outstanding achievements. 

#SafePlaceSelfie is a grass roots campaign as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Weather-Ready Nation to get individuals, businesses, and all organizations ready, responsive, and resilient to extreme weather events. 

Knowing your "safe place" when extreme weather threatens is the #1 preparedness action anyone can take.  To this end, a social media campaign will be launched the week of April 3, culminating in a Tweet Chat on Thursday, April 6.

Take a #SafePlaceSelfie, share it on social media starting April 3 and participate in NOAA's Tweet Chat on April 6 at 1pm ET.